NEW YORK -- With the help of the man who coached her to prominence as a teenager two decades ago, Mary Pierce is looking strong again.
The 30-year-old Pierce, who came into the U.S. Open ranked 12th after winning the San Diego tournament in August, beat Katarina Srebotnik, 6-3, 6-2, in their second-round match yesterday. Thus, Pierce is one match removed from facing a sizzling Justine Henin-Hardenne in a fourth-round rematch of the French Open final.
Pierce bought a villa at Nick Bolletieri's Tennis Academy in Bradenton about six years ago and often works out there. But it wasn't until this year that the legendary coach offered to help Pierce on the court for the first time in years, an offer she readily accepted.
"He just came out on the court and gave some advice. That's it," she said. "My brother is my coach and we work together every day and Nick has great experience and has worked with a lot of great players. He has good advice. He comes and advises, you could say."
Pierce is coached by her brother David, and right now things are going well for the sibling team. Without any nagging injuries to slow her, Pierce is healthy and gaining momentum.
"I've been working hard over the past year now and I'm just getting fitter," she said. "That's really made a big difference. My game is a very physical game. I need to have my legs to be able to play my game."
But it was her shoulder that gave her trouble earlier in the year. Pierce said her brother told her not to play the Australian Open because of the shoulder injury, but she didn't listen, and lost in the first round to Stephanie Cohen-Aloro.
Pierce struggled for a while until the French Open, when she made it to the finals, where she lost to Henin-Hardenne, 6-1, 6-1. Skipping from one Grand Slam to the next, Pierce made it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, where she lost to eventual champion Venus Williams, and then after a Fed Cup match, she won in San Diego.
Pierce plays No. 17 seed Jelena Jankovic in the third round after Jankovic beat Alexa Glatch, 6-2, 6-0.
"We've never played, but I've seen her play quite a bit," Pierce said. "She's a good player. She's young, talented and she's been moving up."